Research Associate Engineer
Qatar foundation
Total years of experience :15 years, 5 Months
Manage and organize the FIB-SEM Lab to optimize utilization and bolster scientific reporting quality for internal and external customers. Commission SEM and Sample Prep labs; establish and maintain a precise operating schedule. Execute SEM analyses and investigations to support customers, ensuring adherence to schedule and quality standards. Educate and mentor personnel to facilitate and accelerate research paper publication, coaching lab users on best practices/techniques. Supervise equipment and inventory management, maintaining and updating detailed records of available and required parts; order and purchase lab equipment, parts, and other items as needed to reduce downtime.
• Effectively increased the production rate of QF/QEERI research papers by over 50% by streamlining lab systems and maintaining high SEM Systems uptime.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with the Logistics team, senior management, Service Engineers, and vendors to facilitate and oversee installation and commissioning of 30+ various sample prep equipment and six electron microscopes at the core labs.
• Expertly trained, guided, and mentored five scientists/users on FIB-SEM and sample prep systems, structuring the usage schedule to maximize lab efficiency.
• Served as Radiation Protection Officer: facilitated radiation license acquisition; interfaced QF’s Health & Safety department and Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment; and achieved a clean, zero-incident record for the entire research complex.
• Leveraged extensive experience in in-situ SEM and in-situ XRD to present Master’s project output, “Study of the Ion Intercalation Mechanism in MXene Membrane for Water Treatment Application, ” to two conferences.
• Successfully secured ISO Certification (ISO/IEC 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017) as Certified Lead Auditor by evaluating other departments within the complex and executing an audit with zero external observation.
• Utilized and developed expertise with various equipment, software, and tools, including advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Talos L120C TEM for Materials Science, and ImageJ.
• Conceptualized, developed, and implemented a more efficient report format to simplify lab processes (i.e. Corrosion Failure Analysis, energy, environmental research, Nano Materials, water desalination, and water membranes).
Directed and executed equipment installation; delivered practical and procedural training to customers; maintained, troubleshot, and recalibrated equipment and systems, including Cryo-SEM, EDS, EBSD, Gatan 3D View (Serial Block Phase), FIB-SEM, TEM sample prep, and 3D construction systems. Collaborated and liaised with vendor contacts to purchase items and obtain pricing quotes for new systems. Optimized and upheld lab operations, scheduling, and documentation procedures.
• Dexterously installed and maintained 10+ FIB-SEM systems in Saudi Arabia, delivering guidance and support to 10+ customers on correct and efficient utilization.
• Partnered with the FEI-SEM Team at KAUST for three years, installing, maintaining, and implementing operational training for Helios, Magellan, Nova Nano SEM, Quanta3D FEG, Quanta 600 FEG, and Quanta 200 FEG systems.